Unhygienic conditions at the company canteen raided by the FDA in Waluj area
Food safety officer Pragya Pramod Surse carried out the surprise inspection on Sept 30 after BJP MLA Prashant Bamb flagged concerns over food quality and hygiene and sought an inspection.
The inspection report details multiple critical violations that posed a direct risk to workers’ health,” DV Patil, assistant commissioner (food), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said. Cobwebs were found on walls and no pest control records were available,” authorities said. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A company canteen serving hundreds of workers in Waluj MIDC has been shut after a Food and Drugs Administration inspection uncovered serious food safety and hygiene violations. The inspectors found that raw and cooked food were stored together, vegetarian and non-vegetarian items shared containers and cooking oil was reused without mandatory safety checks. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) also found a rusted refrigerator with a broken door, filthy cooking and dining areas, clogged drains and waterlogging. Food handlers had neither valid medical fitness certificates nor vaccination records. FDA found no system to maintain prescribed temperatures for hot and cold food. Cooking and vegetable-cutting areas and dining tables were extremely unclean. Floor tiles were broken and improper flooring led to waterlogging. Waste-water drains were clogged and unhygienic. “Food storage was found to be most alarming. The refrigerator was rusted and its door was broken. Raw and cooked food were stored together, and vegetarian and non-vegetarian items were kept in the same containers, creating a high risk of cross-contamination.